SINGAPORE, 29 NOVEMBER 2012 – An exciting new chapter awaits the HSBC Women’s Champions as the marquee women’s golf event finds itself a new home from next year.
The US$1.4 million tournament, which has over the years attracted a stellar field that includes world No. 1 Yani Tseng and other big name golfers including Americans Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer, will be hosted on Sentosa Island for the first time in its history.
Last month HSBC announced a three-year extension (until 2015) to its title sponsorship of the HSBC Women’s Champions, the only LPGA-sanctioned event in Singapore. The 2013 edition will take place
from Feb 28 to Mar 3 at the championship Serapong Course of the Sentosa Golf Club (SGC). This prestigious ladies event will continue to be a mainstay at SGC through to 2015.
In what will be the sixth edition of this exciting and prestigious tournament hosted by HSBC in Singapore, golf fans will once again be able to enjoy the world’s best female golfers in action here in the Garden City, thanks to the Bank’s continued support of the event. HSBC’s commitment in extending the sponsorship will firmly establish the event as one of the world’s top golf tournaments for women and a key highlight of Singapore’s sporting calendar.
The 72-hole invitation-only tournament, widely considered amongst the players as “Asia’s Major”, drew 49 of the top-50 players on the LPGA money-list in 2012 and has one of the most challenging qualification criteria of any golf event in the world. To be sure of their spot in the event, a player must either have won an LPGA tournament in the preceding year or finish that year in the top-20 in the Official Rolex Rankings.
American and five-time LPGA Tour winner Angela Stanford took home the winner's cheque of US$210,000 earlier this year following a hotly contested tournament that saw the American triumph in a four way play-off against Korean teenager Jenny Shin, Korea's world No.2 Na Yeon Choi and China's Shanshan Feng. Past winners at the TMCC’s Garden Course include a host of international stars and former world No. 1s in Lorena Ochoa (Mexico), Jiyai Shin (South Korea), Ai Miyazato (Japan) and Karrie Webb (Australia).
Reflecting on the impending move, organisers IMG paid tribute to its five-year association with TMCC. Robbie Henchman, Senior Vice President, Global Co-Managing Director, IMG Golf said: “In terms of history of this wonderful event, TMCC was where it all began and we are extremely grateful to the club for its support throughout the past five years. The facilities at TMCC are world-class and the club has proven time and again to be a fantastic host for us and the LPGA. Moving the 2013 edition to SGC is all about renewing the proposition of the HSBC Women’s Champions for the fans who have followed this event loyally. We are looking forward to working with Sentosa to deliver a fantastic golf event for them and for the players. The move to SGC is also in tune with Sentosa’s fast growing appeal as an internationally renowned leisure destination and hopefully the event will contribute as well as benefit from this.”
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